Process and apparatus for extracting bitumen from bitumen-bearing ore.



G. M. WILLIS.

PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR EXTRAGTING BITUMEN FROM BITUMEN BI-JARINGORE. 1

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 27, 1907.

Patented A r. 20, 1909.

n4: NORRIS PETERS ca., WASHINGTON, n. c.

20 suitable vesse BEST AVAlLABLE COPY UNITED STATES- PATENT onnron. A

' GEORGE n. wI LIs, or cmcAco, ILLINOIS.

PROCESS AND APPARATUS ron nir'rn o'rme :BI'rUMI-JN FROM summit-Bennie ems.

" Specification of Letters Patent.

. Patented April 20,1909.

Application filed March 27, 1903 Serial No. 864,821.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Gnonos 3i, Willis, citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illi- Improvement in Processes and A paratus for Extracting Bitumen vfrom itumen- Bearing Ore, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanving draw- In accordance with my invention the ore or rock is first ground or disintegrated to a suitable degree, say, about twenty meshes to the inch. This powder, which is a mixture of sand and as )halt, is mixed with water in a l and heated, the clear sand, being of great specific gravity, dropping to the bottom of the receptacle, and the asphalt and some sand mixing with the water to form a scum which remains more toward the top of the receptacle. The precipitating sand is continuously carried away from the receptacle and the scum is kept agitated by being mixed with air under more or less pressure, this 'air agitation taking place in 0 another suitable receptacle, and more sand is liberated and settles to the bottom of the second receptacle, whence it may be continuously withdrawn in any suitable manner. The scum leaving the first receptacle has approximately 60% sand and 40% bitumen or asphalt, while the scum after treatment in the second receptacle becomes 70% pure and containing only about 30% sand. The scum from the second receptacle is then 40 assed over the heating surface and suitably ieated to about 600 degrees Fahrenheit, the heating surface being inclined and of such length that when the scum leaves the surface itwill have been thoroughly dried. The dry substance is collected in a suitable tank or reco )tacle which is suitably heated fromthe outside; In this tank theremainiug sand in the mixture settles to the bottom of the t ank, while the pure asphaltum is lighter and fills the top of the receptacle, whence it may be withdrawn. The residuum in the tank consists in greater part of sand. and this rc s-iduum is extracted and re-fed into the first receptacle. The process is a continuous one,

56 the ground ore or rock being continuously nois, have invented a certain new and useful fed to the first receptacle and the residuum from the last settling tank being constantly added to the first receptacle, and gore asphaltum can constantly be drawn 0 r Many forms of apparatus can be em loyed for carrying out my process, and in t e accompanying drawing I show one form and arrangement of apparatus which I find is readily adapted to carrying out my invention in a very efficient manner.

In this drawing Figure l isa more or less (ha rammatic top view of the various parts of the apparatus showing the se ueirce of operations, and Fig. 2 is a sectiona view taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

The ore or rock is first suitably ground and disintegrated and fed as throu h a. ho per 1 to one'end of a tank 2, which tank is comparatively long and, say, about two feet dee This tank connects with a. second tanl: 3 which is oil'sct and to the side of tank 1, as shown, the two tanks being connected by the assageway 4. At the ends of the first tan are rollers 5 and 6 about which passes an endless chain or rabble 7. The shaft 8 of roller 5 may be suitably driven from a motor or engine, and a belt 9 may be used to transmit rotation from shaft 8 to shaft 10 of roller 6. The chain is so arran ed that the upper partbctween the rol ers passes along in engagement \xith the floor of the tank 2, the direction of travel being as indicated by the arrows. This tank 2 is also nearly filled with water and below the tank heat is employed, as by means ofhydro-carbon burners 11. The water is thus heated to boiling and the mixture of asphaltum and sand is also thoroughly heated and more or less a itated by the boiling water. A conr thence into the second tan which also contains water and is heated by other burners. Air under suitable pressure is led into the mass through twyers 12 which enter the. sides of the tank 3 just below the surface of the liquid in the tank and terminate flush apparatus and mechanism shown for carry- BEST AVAILABLE Corr.

of asphaltum, water and sand is thoroughly agitated, partly by the results of-l oiling and more so by the incoming air, andfmore sand is liberated. The liberation of sand in the first tank is such that the scum containsabout 40% asphaltum and (50% sand, while amount of sand will have been reduced so that the scum will contain about 7 0% asphaltum and 30% of, sand. The sand liberated upon treatment in the second tank. settles to the bottom of the tank and may be removed inany suitable manner, as through traps or by means of a traveling chain or conveyer similar to that passing through the first tank. After treatment in the twotanks just described, the scum in tank 3 is dried and for this purpose is caused to pass over a heating surface, which may be an inclined chute 13,

as shown, this chu te leading from the end of tank 3 and into a tank or receptacle 14..

The scum is carried from tank 3 to the chute by means of a paddle wheel 15, as shown,- this paddle wheel being shown as mounted over the right end of the tank 3 and on a shaft 16 which may be driven by a belt 17 connected with shaft 10. The travel of the scum is maintained by means of the chain running through the first tank and by means of the saddle wheel, which paddle wheel scoops t e scum from tank 3 on to the chute. This chute is heated to, say, about 600 degrees Fahrenheit throughout its entire length and before the scum leaves the chute it is thoroughly dried of all moisture. Tank 14 is also heated and in this tank pure asphaltum is finally obtained. After being thus highly heated upon its passage over the inclined chute, then when it reaches tank 14, the lighter clear liquid asphaltum will remain at the top of the tank, while the heavier substance, which still retains sand, will settle to the bottom. The clear asphaltum is then drawn from the tank 14, while the residuum, which contains a great amount of sand, is retreated by being re-fed to the first tank with fresh ore.

By means of my process I am enabled to break up in stages the great 'alllnity which asphaltum, or like bituminous substances, has for sand, by first causing mechanical disintegration thereof, and then continually heating it andkceping it thoroughly agitated during such heating.

I do not wishto be limited to the precise ing out my process, nor to the exact sequence of operations which 1 have described. as changes may readily be made without departing from the scope of my invention.

I desire to cover the following method claims .by Letters Patent:

-1. The process of extractin asphalturn with the inside of the same and the mixture in grinding the ore, heating the ground ore in water to cause release of some of the sand and foreign matter, removing the sand and foreign matter upon release thereof, further heating the residue in water, introducing air under pressure into the floating mass to cause agitation of the mixture whereby more sand after treatment 1n the second tank the 3 is liberated, then drying the residue, then filling it into settling tanks in which the remaining sand and foreign matter is recipitated and from which the clear asp altum can be drawn off.

2. The process of extracting bitumen from bitumen-bearing ore which consists in grinding the ore to a sand, heating the sand inwater and causing agitation of the resulting floating mass to reiease the sand, removing the precipitated sand, then causin the residue to flow in a thin stream, and heating it to drive the moisture therefrom.

3. The process of extracting bitumen from bitumen-bearing ore which consists in grinding the ore, heating the ground material in water to cause precipitation of some of the sand, further heating the residue in water and at the same time blowing air into the.

floating mass to cause further agitation thereof and to assist in the liberation of more sand, then causing the residue to flow in a thin stream and to be heated to drive the moisture therefrom, and then heating the dried residue to cause precipitation of the remainingsand.

4. The process of extracting bitumen from bitumen bearing ore which consists in grinding the ore to a finely divided condition, in mixing the particles thus produced with water i'n'a first trcatin tank, in heating the mixture in the first tan in transferring the floating bitumen particles to a second tank, in agitating the floating mass in the second tank, and in then heating the remaining bitumen particles and allowing the remaining impurities to settle.

5. The process of extracting bitumen from bitumen bearing ore which consists in grinding the ore to a finely divided condition, in minim the particles thus produced with water, in eating and agitating the mixture to produce a floating mass of the bitumen particles, in removin the floating mass from the influence of such heating and agitating action, in there agitatin the floating mass, and in then heating the bitumen particles and allowing the remaining impurities to settle.

6. As a means for separating bitumen from pulverized bitumen ore, means for heating and agitating the pulverized ore with water to produce a floating mass of bitumen particles on the water, means for removim the floating mass from the location of sue heating action, means for agitating the floating mass without agitation of the water beneath it, and means for drying and purifying the remaining mass of floating bitumenparticles.

'7. As a means" for separating bitumen from pulverized bitumen ore, means for heating and agitating the pulverized ore with water to produce a floating mass of bitumen particles on the Water, means for removing the floating mass from the location of such heating action, means for agitating the floating mass Without agitation of the Water beneath it, and means for removing the moisture from the mass of bitumen particles.

8. As a means for separating bitumen from pulverized bitumen ore, means for heating and a gita ting the pulverized ore with water to produce a oating mass of bitumen particles on the Water, means for removing the floating mass from the location of such heating action, means for agitating the floating mass without agitation of the water heneath it, means for removing the moisture from the mass of bitumen particles, and means for removing remaining impurities from the dried bitumen.

9. As a means for separating bitumen from pulverized bitumen ore, means for delivering the pulverized ore to a first treating pan, means for heating and agitating the ulverized ore with water in such pan to proti uce a floating mass of bitumen articles on the water, means for removing t 1e floating mass to a second pan, means for agitating the floating mass in the second pan without agit-ation of the Water beneath it, and means for drying and purifying the remaining mass of floating bitumen particles.

10. As a means for separating bitumen from pulverized bitumen ore, means for delivering the pulverized ore to a first treating pan, means for heating and agitating the pulverized ore with water in such pan to produce a floating mass of bitumen particles on the water, means for removing the floating mass to a second pan, means for agitating the floating mass in the second pan without agitation of the water beneath it, means for removing the moisture from the mass of bitumen particles, and means for removing remaining impurities from the dried bitumen. Y

1]. As a. means for separating bitumen from bitumen bearing ore, a treating pan, means forsu )pl ving pulverized ore to be treated to such pan, means for heating and agitating-thepulverized ore with water to produce a floating mass of bitumen particles, means for'removing the floating mass from the location of such heating action, means for agitating the floating mass without agitating the water. beneath it, means for removing the bitumen particles to a drying pan and means for. removing remaining impurities from the dried bitumen.

12. As a means for separating bitumen BEST AVAILABLECOPJ p 18,628

the dried bitumen.

heated drying pan, means'for transferring the bitumen particles to such drying pan, and means for removing remaining impurifties from the dried bitumen.

1-3. As a means for separating bitumen from pulverized ore consisting principally of bitumen, sand and silt,'is finely divided and intermingled condition, means for de livering the pulverized ore to a treating pan,'

means for heating and agitating the pulverized ore with water in such pan to-produce a floating mass of bitumen particles on the water and to precipitate a part of the sand from the pulverized ore, means for removing the floating mass from the location of suchheating action, means for agitating the floating mass Without a itation of the \Vfl-iGI beneath itto efl'ect the precipitation of the sand remaining in the floating mass, means for removing the moisture from the mass of bitumen particles, and means for removing the silt from 14. As a means for separating bitumen from pulverized ore consisting principally of bitumen, sand and silt, in finely divided and intermingled condition, means for delivering the pulverized ore to a first treating pan, means for heating and agitating the pulverized ore with water in such pan to produce a floating mass of bitumen particles on the Water and to recipita-t-e a portion of the sand contained in such ulverized ,ore, means for transferring the ioating mass to a second-treating pan, means for agitating the floating mass in such second from pulverized bitumen bearing ore, means for delivering the pulverized ore into afirst pan containing water, means for heating the-pan and its contents and thereby'sepaw.

rating and precipitating a portion of the sand contained therein, means for transferring the bitumen particles and remaining impurities to a second pan, means for agitating the mixture in such second an, means for heating such second pan an its contents, such agitation and heating serving to precipitate more of the sand from the mixture, meansfor removing the bitumen from the inclined pan.

particles and reniaini v impurities to an inclined pan, ieans for eating such inclined pan to drive off the water'mixed with the f itumen and to render it fluid, and a settling tank for receiving the fluid bitumen 16. As a means for separating bitumen from ulverized bitumen bearing ore, means I for de ivering the pulverized ore into a first pan containing water, means for heating the an and its contents and thereby separating and precipitating a portion of the sand con- 2 tained therein, means for transferring the z bitumen particles and remaining inipurities to a second pan, means for agitating the mixture in such second pan, means for Z BES i I v TAVAILABLEC Qg;

and remaining impurities- 1 means for heating such third receiving the fluid bitumen.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 25th day of March A. D., 1907.

GEORGE M. WILLIS Vitnessesz' v Q v Cnanuzs J. SCHMIDT,

GEORGE E. HIGHAM. 

